The saying goes, “Before the troops move, the provisions must go first.” To guard against the Japanese pirates’ sneak attack on Suzhou and to prevent them from cutting off the connection between our Zhejiang army’s Fengqiao camp and Suzhou city, our camp needs to stockpile enough provisions for one month. This is to ensure that we are not besieged by the Japanese pirates with their superior forces. Each of our soldiers requires two litres of grain per day, and each mule or horse requires two litres of fodder and one litre of coarse grain daily. Our army consists of 2,000 soldiers and 700 mules and horses. How much provisions do we need to request from the Suzhou prefecture for this operation? Here is the previous official request for provisions. Please, Mr. Hu, draft a similar official request for provisions to the Suzhou prefecture based on this document.”
Zhu Ping’an took a document from the shelf and handed it to Hu Wei, who was standing beside him, instructing him to draft a request for provisions.
After returning from the sea sacrifice, Zhu Ping’an had sent out scouts to patrol the area within a hundred miles to monitor the movements of the Japanese pirates. From various signs, it appeared that the Japanese pirates, led by Xu Hai, who were stationed in Songjiang prefecture, were gathering their forces and preparing to attack Suzhou.
By now, the total number of Japanese pirates stationed in Songjiang prefecture had exceeded 40,000, and their arrogance was growing daily.
The surrounding counties and towns of Songjiang prefecture, such as Jiading, Kunshan, and Wujiang, had already been ravaged by the Japanese pirates. Suzhou prefecture, with its unparalleled wealth and proximity, had long been a coveted target for them.
Within just a few days, the scouts had discovered more than ten instances of Japanese spies scouting Suzhou. Even outside the Fengqiao camp, several unidentified individuals had been spotted observing the camp. The frequency and depth of the Japanese spies’ activities far exceeded previous levels.
Therefore, Zhu Ping’an concluded that the Japanese pirates were preparing to attack Suzhou, and the attack could happen soon, possibly within three to five days, or at most within ten days.
Zhu Ping’an had already issued a warning to Suzhou city, and the Suzhou prefecture was already strengthening the city’s defenses.
“Please rest assured, sir. I will definitely complete the task and draft the request for provisions,” Hu Wei said confidently as he took the document with both hands.
Zhu Ping’an nodded and then turned to Xia Qiang, saying, “Military operations require the support and cooperation of local government offices. Recently, the Japanese pirates in Songjiang prefecture have been restless. To prepare for battle, I plan to send a battalion of soldiers out of Suzhou for training to improve their readiness. This is the destination for this operation. Mr. Xia, please draft an official document to notify the local county government to cooperate. Here is a previous document sent to another government office requesting their cooperation for your reference.”
As he spoke, Zhu Ping’an wrote down a place name on a piece of paper and then took a document from the shelf and handed it to Xia Qiang.
“Please rest assured, sir. I will definitely complete the task and draft the document to notify the local government office. I will not delay your military affairs,” Xia Qiang said confidently, taking the document with both hands, just like Hu Wei.
Uncle Zhu Shouren, who had been standing nearby, could no longer hold back and eagerly stepped forward, saying, “Nephew, nephew, what about me? What can I do? You can trust your uncle to get the job done beautifully.”
“Uncle, I also need your help to draft an official document. To guard against a Japanese pirate attack, besides stockpiling more provisions, we also need to prepare more weapons and gunpowder to account for consumption during battle. Based on a daily consumption of 1,000 catties of gunpowder and 100 damaged swords, we need to prepare enough for half a month and request additional gunpowder and swords from the Suzhou prefecture. Additionally, we need to request 500 spears, 500 longbows, and 10,000 arrows for unforeseen circumstances.”
Zhu Ping’an instructed his uncle, Zhu Shouren, and also handed him a document from a previous request for reference.
“Don’t worry, nephew. Your uncle can handle a simple document like this with ease,” Zhu Shouren said confidently, rolling up his sleeves and patting his chest.
“Then I leave it to you, Uncle, Mr. Hu, and Mr. Xia. I will go outside to inspect the soldiers’ training and will review your work when I return.”
Zhu Ping’an slightly cupped his hands and left the tent to inspect the training of the various battalions, leaving his uncle Zhu Shouren, Hu Wei, and Xia Qiang in the commander’s tent.
This was also a test for his uncle and the others, to see if they would rummage through things while alone in the commander’s tent.
Of course, the commander’s seal, tiger tally, and confidential documents had already been locked in a cabinet by Zhu Ping’an the previous night. The commander’s tent only contained ordinary books and documents, so there was no need to worry about his uncle and the others going through them.
Zhu Ping’an had also made secret marks on these ordinary books and documents, such as placing strands of hair, so he would know if his uncle and the others had gone through them.
After inspecting the soldiers’ training for about an hour, Zhu Ping’an returned to the commander’s tent.
From a distance, Zhu Shouren saw Zhu Ping’an returning through the window and quickly put down the book he was holding. As Zhu Ping’an entered the tent, Zhu Shouren eagerly said, “Nephew, you’re back. Hehe, we’ve already completed the tasks you assigned.”
“Sir, you’re back. We have drafted the documents. Please review them and provide guidance,” Hu Wei and Xia Qiang also stood up and cupped their hands in greeting, confidently asking Zhu Ping’an to review the documents they had drafted.
Zhu Ping’an nodded, took the documents from Hu Wei and Xia Qiang, and carefully reviewed them.
He first looked at the request for provisions drafted by Hu Wei.
The format of the document was mostly correct, with only a few minor issues due to Hu Wei’s unfamiliarity with official documents, but these were not significant. However, the content of the document was seriously flawed.
The amount of provisions Hu Wei had calculated was completely wrong.
In the document, Hu Wei had requested a total of 400 dan of grain, 140 dan of fodder, and 70 dan of coarse grain.
At a glance, Zhu Ping’an knew Hu Wei had made a grave mistake.
Doing a quick mental calculation:
The Zhejiang army has 2,000 soldiers, each requiring two litres of grain per day, totaling 4,000 litres per day.
Ten litres make one dou, and ten dou make one dan. Therefore, the Zhejiang army requires 40 dan of grain per day, and 1,200 dan for a month.
As for the mules and horses, the army has 700 of them, each requiring two litres of fodder and one litre of coarse grain per day, totaling 1,400 litres of fodder and 700 litres of coarse grain per day. This translates to 14 dan of fodder and 7 dan of coarse grain per day, and 420 dan of fodder and 210 dan of coarse grain for a month.
The correct figures should be: a total request of 1,200 dan of grain, 420 dan of fodder, and 210 dan of coarse grain.
However, Hu Wei’s document only requested 400 dan of grain, 140 dan of fodder, and 70 dan of coarse grain.
This was a discrepancy of three times.
Zhu Ping’an thought for a moment and realized that Hu Wei must have carelessly or mistakenly calculated a month as ten days.
If the army requires 40 dan of grain, 14 dan of fodder, and 7 dan of coarse grain per day, then over ten days, it would indeed require 400 dan of grain, 140 dan of fodder, and 70 dan of coarse grain…
If Hu Wei’s document were followed, the provisions requested would only last for ten days, leaving the army without food for the remaining twenty days. How would they survive?
During the Battle of Guandu, when Cao Cao was at a disadvantage against Yuan Shao, Cao Cao’s victory was largely due to burning Yuan Shao’s grain depot at Wuchao, causing Yuan Shao’s army to collapse without food.
The issue of provisions is critical and must be handled with utmost care. There is no room for carelessness.
Theoretically, Hu Wei should have been extremely cautious with the first task assigned to him, yet he made such a significant error. This shows that Hu Wei is not meticulous or cautious enough and is too careless.
